By Jonathan Manteuffel
Special to BassFan


(Editor's note: In observance of the Thanksgiving holiday, a new First Cast story will not appear until Monday.)

The balsa wood baits made by the Bagley Bait Company have for decades been touted as “The World’s Most Treasured Lures." Like the best of the best will do, they appealed to both fish and fishermen.

Through the 1970s and '80s, lures like the DB3 and Bang-O-Lure could be found in the tackle boxes of many weekend anglers and most pros. They remained popular into the early '90s, but as competition from plastic baits pressured the company into finding less-expensive ways to make the balsa wood (and some hardwood) plugs, the quality began to slip.

After the company declared bankruptcy and was sold, the new offerings from the Dominican Republic never measured up to the classic Bagleys of the '70s and '80s. Anglers missed those lures greatly, paying some hefty prices for the older baits – when they could find them.

Then, in 2010, someone who really understood lure-making took an interest in the company. None other than Jarmo Rapala, of the legendary Rapala family, partnered with others to acquire the company. With an aim to reclaim the title of the World’s Most Treasured Lures, the grandson of the legendary Lauri Rapala began to guide the reborn Bagley Bait Company back toward its former renown.

Following is a Q&A with Rapala about the revitalized Bagley brand.

BassFan: Why did you and others in 2010 originally decide to pursue the acquisition and revitalization of the Bagley Bait Company? Why was it important to you?

Jarmo Rapala: “Bagley had been a great brand within the fishing industry for decades and we had an appreciation for the business, its history of innovation and for several specific Bagley models that had made them great for years. Many years ago, when I was part of our family business, we took a close look at the brand but (were) unable to purchase it then. This time, it was fairly easy to become involved but we also knew that the brand had suffered many years of neglect in development, quality control and manufacturing standards since we had looked at it years ago. We also knew it would take time to get the products back to a quality standard and we would have to have patience and dedication to make the products meet the expectations of past Bagley anglers, as well as to continue the legacy of innovation for which Bagley was always known.”

What is your role in the company now that (ownership group) First Cast, Inc. has come aboard? What do you feel are your major contributions?

“Actually, after initially taking the Bagley brand into First Cast upon purchase, we decided to attract additional management and investors into the specific Bagley business. Bagley today is now a wholly separate business, managed by Don Hultstrand in Minneapolis, Minn. I am involved in the product design and manufacturing management of Bagley lures and factories. I am part of the Bagley board and participate in the business strategy of the brand.”

Anglers still seek out the old 1970s and early 1980s Bagley lures for their quality, action and appearance. Some even collect and display them. What is your overriding goal in making the new Bagley baits?

“Bagley made unique balsa baits at a time when there were few lure manufacturers who could meet the fast-growing product demand for the sport of bass fishing. They stood out for several reasons then as makers of lures that caught big bass and were the first makers of a square-lipped design that capitalized on the buoyancy of balsa with a lip design that allowed a lure to be fished in “hang-up” areas – where the big fish often are. Their baits became prized for their results and deservedly so. Even today there are only a couple balsa wood lure-makers, as it is not an easy manufacturing process compared with other modern materials. Yet, many avid and expert anglers know that balsa wood lures can be a difference-maker in certain conditions.

“For sure, Bagley suffered from some periods of poor quality manufacturing. There is an acquired expertise to making quality balsa fishing lures and againm real fishermen know this difference. I think people sought out the older lures as they perceived the lures were made better back then. In some cases, because of some periods of shoddy manufacturing, they were right.



Bagley Bait Company
Photo: Bagley Bait Company

The Balsa Shad (top), Sunny B (center) and Rumble B are among the newest Bagley offerings.

"Today, there is a crazy market for older Bagley lures. Back in the Winter Haven manufacturing days, as a still fairly small manufacturer, they also made many special colors and combinations in low quantity runs. This has helped fuel the collectable nature of older Bagley lures as people search for colors as well as models. It’s great to be part of a brand with this type of interest and it reminds us daily of the regard people have for Bagley.

“Overall, our goal is to make the baits achieve their original design function. We understand what the intended action of each model made was in terms of its head, body and tail movement, but the important part for us is to make this designed action replicable in every lure produced. We have carefully analyzed some of the original baits and are working to capture that preferred action in the baits we are now starting to make. This takes time and will take time for the baits we are making today to get into fishermen’s hands who value a quality Bagley bait.”

How do you re-create the action of the old Bagley lures? Is it difficult?

“There are many manufacturing subtleties and market factors to point out in answering the question. Today, we make plastic lures as well as balsa lures and each present their own challenges. We design each of our lure models, independent of material, from the ground up and then utilize all quality materials to achieve the best lure for the fishery intended and the fisherman to use. It is not a matter of material or coatings exclusively in making a quality fish-catching lure, but rather the expertise in consistently managing the processes that make a good lure. This is where Bagley has suffered in the recent past and where we expect to meet all expectations now and into the future.

"We like to think that a Bagley lure sold from $5 to $10 at retail is as good as any lure sold on the market at any price. We do not do limited factory runs to create “limited offerings”; rather, we are making lures in quantities that allow for manufacturing efficiencies and reflect a reasonable market price – just as Bagley did back in the '70s and '80s. Again, it is taking time to accomplish this. It takes time for what we are producing today to find its way through distribution and into fishermen’s hands. But we are very confident that the price paid for the lures we are making today will deliver on its brand reputation and on the product's promise – that it catches fish.”

What quality controls are in place to ensure proper action

“All lures are tank-tested to ensure that they run true out of the box, but we also employ many other checks within the manufacturing stages to stay within the quality boundaries set.”

What are some of the innovations you have developed for production of these lures?

“As mentioned, I well know that balsa wood manufacturing is as much art as it is replication of machines. It takes experience and skill to make a balsa chunk into a fishing lure full of agitation and imitation. Traditional balsa lure manufacturing limits what you can make a lure do. With our new Heat Compression Molding (HCM) process, we have a much wider design field to make a lure move the way I want it to, and truly does allow for a technical design aligned with traditional material. Essentially, the best of both worlds in terms of form and function.”

How many/what kind of products are currently being produced?

“We are focused today on the main Bagley sub-brands such as the Balsa B, Diving B, Bang-O-Lure, etc. These are among the best known and widest-fished models made by Bagley over the last 60 years of existence. Of course, there are also many other models that we are not presently making, and there are few days that pass when we do not get a request for a past favorite not currently produced.

"However, we are also bringing new models to market – such as the Sunny B, Balsa Shad and Rumble B, among others – that express our own contributions to this great brand. We hope that past Bagley anglers as well as new anglers will experience these baits and come to trust their unique actions and results, and perhaps they will become tackle box staples much like their Bagley predecessors.”

What can we expect in the future?

“Without a doubt we are producing today the best Bagley lures made in many, many years. Our focus has been on quality manufacturing and design of all classic Bagley models, as well as within the new models we have introduced in the past few years. We have so much to bring back in terms of past Bagley models, as well as in new models that allow me the design freedom to make lures that I would like to design and fish. Bagley provides to me that platform to develop lures and to build upon a great fishing brand.”

Notable

> To read previous BassFan articles on vintage Bagley lures and the people who collect them, click here and here.

> To visit the Bagley website, click here.